Democrats stump, raise funds in Havre

With the general election only five months away, Democrats from across the Hi-Line flocked to the Havre Eagle's Club Tuesday night for a burger feed fundraiser headlined by Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney.

In all, some 48 people bought tickets, according to Kathy Broader, treasurer of the Hill County Democratic Party.

The event was hosted by the party, and for $11 per person, the party faithful, which included local party activists, candidates and veteran lawmakers, were treated to burgers, beer and barbs at the expense of Republicans.

Brenda Skornogoski, chair of the Hill County Democrats, did not hold back and began jabbing Republicans immediately, asking between speakers how many Republicans or how many Donald Trumps did it take to screw in a light bulb before offering a different rejoinder each time.

Cooney, a former state legislator and former Montana Secretary of State, who on Jan. 4 was appointed lieutenant governor following the resignation of Angela McLean, said being lieutenant governor was not "on my bucket list."

Nonetheless when he was tapped to finish McLean's term and run for re-election with Gov. Steve Bullock this year, he did so because he was impressed with Bullock's record as governor.

He lauded Bullock for what he has done in expanding Medicaid, tightening campaign finance laws, investing in workforce development and education, and maintaining a $300 million rainy day fund.

Cooney said he and Bullock would seek to help bring universal pre-kindergarten to Montana, to bridge the wage gap between men and women, and protect access to public lands if re-elected.

Republicans were in Cooney's crosshairs, as he slammed them for scuttling a bipartisan infrastructure bill that fell one vote shy of the supermajority needed for passage.

"The Republicans said they needed a success, they needed a victory, so killing the infrastructure bill, keeping people in Montana from going to work and fixing the infrastructure in this state that is so desperately in need of repair, their answer was to kill that and that was a victory," he said.

Cooney criticized the tax plan of Bullock's Republican opponent, Bozeman businessman Greg Gianforte, whose tax plan Cooney said would benefit the wealthy at the expense of everyone else.

Melissa Romano, a fourth-grade teacher at Four Georgians Elementary School in Helena and the party's candidate for superintendent of public instruction, was also on hand to introduce herself.

She is vying to succeed the term-limited Denise Juneau for the position and will face state Sen. Elsie Arntzen, R-Billings, in November's general election.

Romano is still teaching full time, opting to finish the school year while simultaneously campaigning for superintendent.

She said she is committed to ensuring that Montana's public education system remains strong.

She said educators in concert with parents and communities are the ones most capable of making decisions regarding education. She said a quality education can inspire students to be learners long after they leave the classroom and that well-funded public schools are crucial to the success of children's future.

A political newcomer, Romano won the presidential award for excellence in mathematics and science teaching from the National Science Foundation.

She sought to cast herself as a problem solver willing to take on difficult issues,"whether it is a complex policy issue or a simple matter."

The dinner was also a chance for area Democrats to meet with and hear from candidates running for local legislative races.

State Sen. Jonathan Windy Boy of Box Elder, who is not facing an opponent in the primary or general elections, said he might have "let the cat out of the bag a little too early" about his intentions to make a bid for the House District 32.

He said he had wanted to take on first-term state Rep. Bruce Meyers, R-Box Elder, this November who is instead running for the state Senate.

Windy Boy is ineligible to run for re-election to that seat due to term limits.

He said he hoped to be pitted against Meyers in the general election due to his vote against an infrastructure bill at the end of the last legislative session.

"The last week of the session when there was an infrastructure bill that was on the floor, if he would have voted yes, that would have brought economic development into our part of the state."

Windy Boy said, if approved, the bill would have delivered $6 million to the Hill County area.

He said that he is also running because "there is still a lot that needs to be done."

Windy Boy said it was unfortunate that many of the seats, once reliably Democrat, have been picked up by Republicans in recent elections. He said he hopes that changes in the next few election cycles.

The longtime lawmaker urged candidates "We need to knock on every door even if the door gets slammed in your face."

He also advised candidates "Don't BS anybody. Get to the point."

Other candidates were allotted time including Senate District 16 Democratic candidates former state Sen. Frank Smith of Poplar and Bobbi Jo Favel of Box Elder, along with Senate District 17 candidate Douglas Adolphson of Glasgow and Ryan Rominger of Floweree, who is making a bid for House District 27.

But the candidates' jabs weren't only reserved for Republicans. The two candidates competing to take on state Rep. Stephanie Hess, R-Havre, in the general election in District 28, sought to draw distinctions between one another.

Jacob Bachmeier, the Havre High School senior and vice chair of the Hill County Democratic Party, said he was the only candidate "born and raised" in Havre, a not-subtle swipe at not only Illinois native Hess but also his primary opponent retired Montana State University-Northern professor Will Rawn.

Rawn, the final speaker, praised Bachmeier, but brought up areas where they disagree, such as Bachmeier's opposition to maintaining a state rainy day fund and support for the death penalty.